This invention relates generally to the art of shovels and pitchforks, and more particularly, to shovels that are particularly well suited for handling fibrous materials, such as mulch, grass clippings, pine straw (whether rotted or un-rotted) and the like.
It has been recognized that some fibrous materials are difficult to manipulate, either with a shovel or with a pitchfork. In this respect, small elements of fibrous materials, such as rotten portions of mulch, often fall between tines of pitchforks while longer fibrous elements thereof prevent leading edges of shovels from being inserted into piles of the fibrous materials. This is also true for combinations of fibrous and granular materials and for chip materials, such as chip mulch.
At least one prior-art mulch shovel has been suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,706 to Dolci, which basically describes a half shovel/half pitchfork. In this regard, the mulch shovel of Dolci includes a shovel scoop of reduced size with tines extending from a front end thereof. The front end of the scoop has a leading edge, which is approximately in a plane perpendicular to an elongated handle of the mulch shovel. The tines of this mulch shovel are to be inserted into mulch in the manner of a pitchfork, while the scoop then holds the mulch, which has been thusly engaged. Although this mulch shovel has some advantages, it does not work as well as it could. In this respect, when the leading edge of its scoop comes into contact with the mulch, after the mulch has been engaged by the tines, the scoop is prevented from being substantially further inserted into the mulch by its leading edge.
Thus, it is an object of this invention to provide a fiber shovel having a shovel-like scoop that can be relatively easily inserted into fibrous materials.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,226,149 to McJohnson describes a spading fork having tapered fingers. Although this spading fork probably can be easily inserted into a pile of fibrous materials, the tapered fingers are still separated to such an extent that small materials will fall between them and there is no substantial element for holding such small materials.
Therefore, it is another object of this invention to provide a tool for handling fibrous material, which can be inserted into piles of the fibrous material in somewhat the manner of a pitchfork, but which also includes a substantial shovel scoop for holding smaller pieces of materials mixed with the fibrous material.
Similarly, it is an object of this invention to provide a fiber shovel, which holds a substantial amount of small pieces of materials.
According to principles of this invention, a fiber shovel has a scoop assembly including elongated pointed members attached to a forward end edge of a scoop, with the pointed members including V-shaped teeth formed in sheet metal of the scoop, with the V-shaped teeth having side edges extending at angles greater than 50xc2x0 to a plane perpendicular to an elongated handle of the fiber shovel, and with the side edges adjacent to other V-shaped teeth intersecting the side edges thereof to form V-shaped troughs between the V-shaped teeth. Further, a length of each pointed member, from its outer tip to an adjacent trough is at least 5 inches and this length is not less than 30% nor more than 67% of the total length of the scoop assembly in the direction of the elongated handle. In one preferred embodiment there are four pointed members, and in one embodiment the pointed members are formed by the V-shaped teeth and tines extending from pointed tips thereof. In another embodiment, the pointed members are formed only by V-shaped teeth, with the teeth being reinforced by crimps in the sheet metal.